Former Union City Mayor Tom Kitayama occupied the positions of mayor, planning commissioner, councilman and mayor of Union City for 32 years and has the greatest contribution in the history of Union City. He is the biggest force behind the formation of a new East Bay City - now Union City, California.

When California began to experience incredible growth, Southern Alameda County developed quickly and the cities of Fremont, Newark and Hayward began to eye the townships of Union City/New Haven/Alvarado/Decoto for potential inclusion into their city boundaries. To preclude such an event, a citizen's committee composed of Tom Kitayama, John Ratekin, Oscar Dowe, Kenneth Garcia, Joseph Lewis and Elvin Rose was formed. They petitioned for incorporation, and on January 13, 1959, the City of Union City came into being, binding together the four areas. Tom Kitayama became its first mayor. He was the first Japanese American to hold public office in California, just 14 years after the end of World War II.

Tom Kitayama will go down in the annals of history of the City of Union City as the mayor who has the longest political career in Union City. He has 32 years political career, and as successful businessman, has 43 years as the head of a multimillion-dollar empire growing and wholesaling fresh-cut flowers.

Tom Kitayama moved his family to California in 1947. He and wife Heidi and three brothers bought land in Alvarado in 1950. They reared six children and now enjoy them and their fourteen grandchildren. His son Tom Kitayama Jr. died in 1983 in a hang gliding accident and a daughter, Susan, died in infancy in 1953 due to cirrhosis of liver (the tubules in her bile duct were not developed and she had a cerebral hemorrhage.)

Today, the 15 square-mile city is growing rapidly as new residents and companies wishing to expand or relocate in the Bay Area turn to the attractive environment of the City of Union City. Today, also, Tom Kitayama sits in his chair at his new home in Cherry Blossom Way in Union City and contemplates on the progress of the little town that once he managed and administered. He retired in 1991 and now enjoys his favorite past time, fishing and stamp collecting. He travels with Heidi everywhere, attends the Lion's Club events, keeps active as a member of the county fair board, committees at Washington Hospital in Fremont and other county activities. He still follows the politics in Union City and still very much concerned; he sometimes helps in city events and still keeps in touch with the people of Union City.

Tom Kitayama, once dubbed the "King of Carnations", was instrumental in the growth of Union City, has an elementary school named after him, had seen his nursery transformed into a beautiful residential community, is amazed with the big change in the city such as the Union Landing, the new homes in Decoto and a new school and most of all the big businesses that came to the city as offshoots of the sprawling Silicon Valley.

He and his family now enjoy the fruits of their labor when they first established the business that now has plants in Watsonville and Colorado, as well as 14 wholesale outlets throughout the country.

Tom Kitayama, Union City's first mayor is very much part of Union City's history. Tom Kitayama is history himself.